CTS Library

Rare Books Collection

The Rare Books Collection at Christian Theological Seminary includes more than 1,500 volumes, most of which were published in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries: 

• Bibles and works about the Bible;
• Works of theology, philosophy and history;
• Journals and devotional writings; and 
• Hymnals, psalters, and other worship resources. 

Heritage Collection

Collecting, preserving, and making accessible historical material related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and related groups has been an important part of the educational mission at Christian Theological Seminary for more than a hundred years. Because of the diligent work of faculty, librarians, and archivists throughout the seminary's history, the Heritage Collection has grown to include:​

• More than 7,000 volumes in many languages printed since the early 19th century;
• ​Nearly 150 periodical titles;
• Over 1,100 biography files on significant individuals;
• More than 1,000 theses and dissertations completed at CTS and its predecessor schools;
• Approximately 1,400 historical files on individual congregations;
• Thousands of pamphlets dealing with historical, doctrinal, and other issues;
• More than 150 manuscript collections covering significant individuals and institutions; and,
• A sizeable photograph collection, especially focused on mission work.

Seminary Archives

Most of the records relating to North Western Christian University and the early attempts to establish graduate theological education at Butler University are held in the university's archives and special collections. Material relating to the history of Butler School of Religion and Christian Theological Seminary, however, are held in the CTS collection.

The Seminary Archives is located on the lower level of Sweeney Chapel in a climate-controlled environment.  The Archives consists of four broad collections:

• Manuscript Collection:  Paper and born-digital records of the educational programs and operations of the seminary.  At present about 40% of the collection is processed, and accessible by a folder-level finder's guide.  
• Photograph Collection:  Print photographs, slides, and digital images of people and events of the seminary.  Most of the photograph collection is unprocessed.
• Audiovisual Collection:  Recordings of seminary people and events on a variety of audio-visual media, including transcription discs, 16 mm film, cassette tape, VHS tape, CD, and DVD.  CTS has the technology to replay most of these media.
• Realia.   A small collection of physical objects related to the history of CTS and its predecessor institutions.